Mama Cash touts women's rights in 88-day online push

Mama Cash is a nonprofit working for the advancement of international women's rights.

"We've been looking to grow in our PR and fundraising at an international level," says Diana van Maasdijk, director of development and communication. Using the campaign model of a Hong Kong-based group - there are 88 days between International Human Rights Day and International Women's Rights Day - Mama Cash contacted McPherson Associates to help plan the effort.

Strategy

Lisa Daniels, project manager at McPherson, says because the target audience was young, affluent businesswomen across Europe and the US, the firm decided to implement an online-only campaign that targeted possible donors directly. "We thought, they're already online, they're already connected, it's a natural jump for them to take an action in Mama Cash's online engagement," says Daniels. The team also wanted to expand its reach beyond the usual donor countries - the US, UK, and Netherlands.

Tactics

McPherson created a virtual e-card that it sent to Mama Cash's e-mail list, and also set up a Web page to accept donations. To help increase visibility, the team secured a partnership with Mies Parson Bank, based in the Netherlands, which promoted the campaign through links on its Web site and in its company newsletter. Daniels notes that to help expand the campaign's reach, the team created an award for the most innovative woman-led initiative of the year and invited people to vote online.

Results

The campaign raised more than $160,000, with half of that raised in the first 60 days. The Web site garnered more than 115,000 visits, and responders cast 70,000 votes for the award. "It just really took off," Daniels says. "They definitely surpassed their goal."

Future

Mama Cash plans to repeat the campaign next year and will work with McPherson if the budget allows.